Article Number : 7835 |
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| Date | 10/12/2012 10:04:38 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=7835 |
| Abstract | Wouldn’t you know it? An earthquake or 5.5 magnitude has shaken central Chile, rattling buildings in the capital of Santiago. As the quake hit, people in the capital fled into the streets, but there are no reports of damage at 12:22pm EST. A magnitude 8.8 quake and... |
| Article | Wouldn’t you know it? An earthquake or 5.5 magnitude has shaken central Chile, rattling buildings in the capital of Santiago. As the quake hit, people in the capital fled into the streets, but there are no reports of damage at 12:22pm EST. A magnitude 8.8 quake and tsunami in central Chile in February 2010 killed more than 500 people. CFI has arrived! On the first evening, the team was stuck in an elevator between floors. After contacting maintenance personnel in order to get out, they had to crawl up to the higher floor. There are going to be many, many stories about this trip, but they are having a wonderful time. “In Santiago, Chile, the first session of ceramic, laminate and wood training ended with a group of very excited installers and sales associates. The amount of installation skills and knowledge that were shared will make a difference for the SODIMAC HomeCenters,” said Jim Walker. “This is also a learning experience for us and with the excitement that is evident in this training; I believe the CFI Team is doing a fine job. At the conclusion of the two sessions, as we watched those who received their certification, it made this all worthwhile. We know that there now exists in Santiago, another group of PROUD CFI INSTALLERS!” CFI is a big promoter of the installation teams and the sales associates forming a partnership to work together for the satisfaction of the customer. It works! It became very noticeable yesterday during the skills portion of the workshop. Jorge Lema, Director of Installation, “We are encouraging all sales associates to be present for the next two days to better understand the installation of the flooring products. After witnessing the camaraderie that occurred in the first session with the installers, SODIMAC knows this is important.” The CFI Ceramic and the Laminate-Wood workshops included two days of PowerPoint presentations in Spanish accompanied by instructors who shared ideas and techniques to enhance the quality of the installation. Demonstrations followed with the majority of the time working in the installation modules assisted by the CFI Team. In the skills session, the installers were introduced to moisture and humidity testing, which is not a problem in Santiago, but is in other areas that the stores service. The installers performed the flooring installation beginning with understanding the types of products that are available, the importance of the substrate and always following the manufacturer’s instructions. Respective of the type of flooring, the instructors shared information concerning acclimation, product knowledge, backerboard installation, concrete profiles, self-leveling products, layout, trammel points, joint staggering, movement, thin-set applications, balancing, substrates, troweling, placement, coverage, grouting knowledge and application. For wood and laminate flooring, information was shared concerning vapor retardant systems, substrates and underlayment, layout, balancing, the installation of floating systems, glue and nail-down floors and the types of wood and laminate. An entire installation of all flooring products from start to finish was completed by the installers for each flooring surface. “CFI introduced the installers to new types of tools to make their work easier to achieve customer satisfaction. It was exciting to see them work with these and understand how important they are to their success. Jorge Lema of SODIMAC HomeCenters is to be commended for the many hours he worked to gather all the tools and supplies that CFI recommended. He did an outstanding job,” said Walker. “We stress the value of the highest level of customer satisfaction. PRIDE plays an important role in a flooring installation with the understanding of how “people skills” make a huge difference,” said Walker. “These skills are important the world over if pleasing the customer is the primary goal. SODIMAC HomeCenters also stress the importance of customer satisfaction and it is a real joy to work with them and the installers.” “At the conclusion of the first sessions of training, we met with Jorge Lema and a group of SODIMAC store associates to discuss the training. The consensus was that CFI was doing a great job and the only negative was that the associates wanted to be more involved. This is the same situation that we face in the USA if the associates do not have a program designed specifically for them. Once they see the mechanics of the installation and the skill and knowledge required to complete it, they become more involved and understanding of what the customer really expects and needs,” said John McHale, Operations Manager for CFI. “Unlike some of the others, this is my first international trip to train flooring installers. Because I love installation training, I am having a wonderful time. Even though we don’t speak the same language, I see the light come on in their eyes every time we show them something new that means more success for them. This group is so receptive and anxious to learn everything possible that we start early in the morning and last night, we left at 8:00. It makes no difference as long as we are doing our job to help them. The management for SODIMAC HomeCenters has been excellent in ensuring that everything works smoothly and they are to be commended for a job well done,” said Bob Gillespie, CFI Past President and the instructor for the laminate and wood program. “I thoroughly understand the impact of managing a large number of flooring installers as that is my job back home as Operations Manager for Romanoff Floor Covering. I applaud SODIMAC for the steps they are taking to assist the installation community to achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction. Because I do speak the language, it has been very interesting to converse with the installers to assist them and listen to their needs. I am anxious to start the new sessions today,” stated Ben Boatwright. “Through the technology of phones, SKYPE, text messaging and email, the communication has been great,” said Jill Sheets of the National CFI Office. “Whitney and I are enjoying this unique training experience as much as the CFI Team. We receive continual updated information and watch as the training progresses.” Today started out with lots of anticipation with another group of 60 installers and associates. And, now experiencing an earthquake for the first time for most of the team, it can only get more exciting. CFI will keep you posted on the success of this exciting journey. |